Carjacked Loudoun Deputy was Station Commander

The Loudoun deputy who was the victim of a carjacking at gunpoint on an early morning in July is the former commander of University Station and second-in-command of the Criminal Investigations Division, Capt. Marc Caminiti.

Caminiti, a 27-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, has since retired. His identity had not been previously disclosed, but he was named in a warrant in the case, and his identity as the victim was confirmed by Clarke County Commonwealth’s Attorney Anne Williams.

In the course of the incident, Caminiti’s service pistol, a county-issued phone, and his personal vehicle were stolen. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office launched an internal affairs investigation, but Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kraig Troxell said that is no longer an active investigation, since those only involve active employees.

Caminiti was on sick leave at the time of the carjacking.

Just after 4 a.m. July 12, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a person stating that his vehicle was stolen by an unknown person at gunpoint. The alleged carjacker is 24-year-old Zakarea Alzanam from Schenectady, NY, who was on parole and had previously been convicted of felony robbery.

Naxarea Alzanam, 24, of Schenectady, NY, has been charged with stealing the service pistol of Loudoun Sheriff’s officer and carjacking the officer’s SUV. (Clarke County Sheriff’s Office)

According to the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, after Caminiti drove Alzanam from Loudoun and dropped him off at the J&J Corner Store on Rt. 7 near Berryville, he discovered his cell phone missing and returned. Alzanam managed to take a weapon out of the vehicle and then took the car.

Alzanam drove away, fled a traffic stop, crashed the vehicle, and fled into the woods. Units from Clarke County, Loudoun County, the Town of Berryville, Frederick County, the Virginia State Police, and a Fairfax County Police Department helicopter joined the search for him. Ultimately, he was found by local residents who saw him fleeing through a cow pasture as they were getting ready for their workday.

Alzanam was charged with carjacking, auto theft, firearm theft, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and eluding police. Clarke County Commonwealth’s Attorney Williams has decided not to pursue the carjacking charge for now.

Caminiti is among the former Loudoun officers who filed statements for the plaintiff in former detective Mark McCaffrey’s $6.3 million lawsuit against Sheriff Mike Chapman for alleged wrongful termination. That case was dismissed and has been appealed.